Committees Approve Governor's Gun Control Package; Full House Vote Expected Next Week

Saturday, March 30, 2013
Robert Lang, David Collins, Anne Kramer and Associated Press

This man standing outside the House Office Building, says passage of this bill will lead to the "death" of a person's constitutional rights. (Photo by WBAL's Robert Lang)

Dick Jurgena of Montgomery County is among the opponents of the bill who has been watching the hearing. Download This File

Dick Jurgena of Montgomery County holds a sign calling on lawmakers in his district (LD 15) to reject the bill. (Photo by WBAL's Robert Lang)

Republican Delegate Mike Smigel says he is trying to change the bill both in committee and on the House floor. Download This File

Members of the House Judiciary and Health and Government Committees review the gun control bill. (Photo by WBAL's David Collins)

Vinny DeMarco of Marylanders to Prevent Handgun Violence talks about what the committees did to this bill. Download This File

Anne Arundel County Republican Delegate Nic Kipke talks about the changes made to the bill, and the floor debate ahead next week. Download This File

Maryland lawmakers on two panels have advanced a gun-control measure that is a top priority of Gov. Martin O'Malley's legislative agenda.

Members of the House Judiciary Committee and the House Health and Government Operations Committee voted 27-18 on Friday night for the bill. That sends the measure to the House of Delegates to consider next week.

Because the committees made changes to a bill that had been approved by the Senate, delegates and senators will have to work out a compromise version of the bill, and that measure would have to be approved by both the House and Senate before the legislative session ends one week from Monday.

For the most part, Democratic lawmakers rejected a variety of proposed changes offered by Republicans.

In the end, key provisions were left intact. They include a requirement for future handgun buyers to submit fingerprints to the state police, a ban on assault style weapons and limiting magazine rounds to 10 bullets.

The committee did not remove any weapons from the proposed list of banned weapons, though lawmakers considered the idea.

However, weapons that are modified would no longer be banned under the House bill.

"Take out, as a feature, a telescope stock. Take out, as a feature, pistol grips," said Montgomery County Delegate Kathleen Dumais, vice chairwoman of the House Judiciary Committee.

Semiautomatic weapons, popular with sportsmen and hunters, would grandfathered in for those who already own assault-style weapons, and for those who purchased them before the law took effect.

"We might actually have, as of Oct. 1, 100,000 assault weapons in the state which will be grandfathered, in which will be legal," said Montgomery County Delegate Luiz Simmons.

The committee did pass an amendment that was sponsored by Simmons to bar any one given probation before judgement in a criminal case from obtaining a weapon.

Under another amendment, gun shops would be allowed to sell their existing inventory of assault weapons, if they have any in stock after the law takes effect on October 1.

The measure also requires handgun buyers to obtain a license from the state, and the measure restricts access to firearms by the mentally ill.

The committee also removed the requirement that current gun owners would have to get a new license to purchase handguns.

The committees also approved an amendment barring the state police from disclosing any records on gun license holders to the news media or the public.

The amendment, proposed by Republican Mike McDermott, was drafted after a newspaper in New York published a map with the names and addresses of gun owners in its area.

The committees also approved several other amendments proposed by McDermott.

One would allow members of the Maryland Defense Force to buy or sell weapons on the list banned under the bill.

Another allows for members of the military at least under the age of 18 to purchase the regulated firearms. Under the original bill, no one under 21 could buy the firearms.

Another amendment allows people with physical disabilities to purchase a firearm. Under the original bill, those with disabilities would need to apply for a special license.

A fourth amendment allows for a person to obtain a regulated firearm through inheritance.

The committee also set the fee for a license to $50. Under the original bill, the fee was $100. The Senate reduced the fee to $25.

The committee initially approved, and but later rejected an amendment that would have allowed the prison sentences of those convicted for gun crimes to be reduced for good behavior while in prison.

The amendment initially passed the committees by a vote of 24-21, but Vallario said there was a mistake in the vote count. Another vote was taken, and the amendment was defeated 23-23.

A few of the spectators in the room shouted "Shame" and left the room in protest.

The bill was drafted in response to the killings of 26 students and teachers at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.

Aides to Governor Martin O'Malley believe that the bill has enough votes to pass, and the final bill will be approved by the time the legislative session ends one week from Monday.

The hearing room was packed with spectators, mostly opponents to the bill.

There were also protesters outside the building, including a man dressed as the Grim Reaper, who was holding a copy of the Bill of Rights.

The man, who would not give his name, told WBAL News that the bill would signal the death of an individual's Second Amendment rights.

Gov. Martin O'Malley used Twitter on Friday to muster citizen lobbyists, urging them to tell legislators the time for action is now on gun control. A video attachment comprised part of a national gun control campaign financed by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and the appeal came on the second day of House committees deciding the fate of the legislation.

The vote took place after the committee met for about eight hours Friday.

"The bill is in tact. One of the most important things that happened was the rejection of amendments to remove fingerprinting, and to make it so that yoiu can have amagzines that have more than 10 bullets," DeMarco told WBAL News.